Mar 26, 2009
P E T A
I am a member and you can become a member, too. It stands for People Eating Tasty Animals. You don't eat meat when it turns green, because it will make you sick, so why would you eat anything that starts out green.
Toothbrush Fountain
Here is a novel idea from Amron Experimental.
This is a toothbrush that redirects water to your mouth so you don't need a glass or get your hands wet. They are cheap at $1.18. I bet the kids would love this. Of course my first test would be to see how far it would shoot.
HDTV
I have noticed the price of HDTVs has actually been going up since about January. Went to a number of web sites and verified that it has quietly been happening. Another thing I have noticed is that 50" sets are conspicuously missing and 52" sets are replacing them.
Guess the price wars and slashing has hurt the retail market too much, they are sneaking in higher prices. They probably haven't read 'good business 101, what not to do during a downturn'.
BTW - Visio is now the second largest shipper of HDTVs in the US. Do you think selling through Sam's and Costco might have something to do with it.
Guess the price wars and slashing has hurt the retail market too much, they are sneaking in higher prices. They probably haven't read 'good business 101, what not to do during a downturn'.
BTW - Visio is now the second largest shipper of HDTVs in the US. Do you think selling through Sam's and Costco might have something to do with it.
New Nano
This Tata Motors (the company that bought land Rover and Jaguar) Nano went on sale this week March 23, in India for $2,000. It claims to be the 'world's cheapest car'. It will also be sold in Europe in 2011. I wonder why they didn't say 'inexpensive'?
Mar 18, 2009
Names vs. Income
Not surprisingly, a study conducted in Sweden showed that African, Asian, or Slavic immigrants who changed their name to be more neutral or Swedish sounding increased their earnings the year after their name was changed. The researchers believe that employers (unconsciously or not) sort out names of job applicants, based on their past experiences and perception of stereotypes of nationalities. A year after name changes, earnings rose and average of 141%. Don't you ever wonder who pays for these studies and why? Maybe it is for the infinitely curious folks that read about them.
Got Salt
Our bodies need salt to function, but an interesting tidbit many do not know is that salt stimulates a pleasant sensation in the brain, according to a new study by the University of Iowa. Salt deprivation is one of the symptoms associated with depression. There are many long and involved studies show the goodness of salt and overuse leading to other health problems. I'll leave them for another day.
Other things from salt - The salt shaker ministries in Kentucky, the word salary comes from the Greek word for salt, one of the four taste sensations is saltiness (along with sweet, bitter, and sour), Roman soldiers were paid in salt. Taking a dip in the Dead Sea is good for healing psoriasis.
(A fifth, less often mentioned taste sensation is Umami is a whole new sensual pleasure. It is a multidimensional taste sensation that is not only savory, brothy and mouth filling but actually interacts with the other taste receptors, think of MSG, and fermented fish sauces, such as Worcestershire. It is a powerful taste that we have known since we were a baby, yet its mysterious interaction with other taste receptors make it hard to describe.)
Old wives' tale - Salt does raise water's boiling point, but you would need a full ounce per quart to raise it one degree.
Sea salt and table salt have the same nutritional value, but taste different because of other chemicals. Sea salt has more calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Did you know table salt has iodine and additives that prevent it from caking, like it did in the old days? I am not ready to start salting my bacon, but I like salt, because it makes me feel good. Bottom line: just like many other things that make you feel good - use it, but don't abuse it.
Other things from salt - The salt shaker ministries in Kentucky, the word salary comes from the Greek word for salt, one of the four taste sensations is saltiness (along with sweet, bitter, and sour), Roman soldiers were paid in salt. Taking a dip in the Dead Sea is good for healing psoriasis.(A fifth, less often mentioned taste sensation is Umami is a whole new sensual pleasure. It is a multidimensional taste sensation that is not only savory, brothy and mouth filling but actually interacts with the other taste receptors, think of MSG, and fermented fish sauces, such as Worcestershire. It is a powerful taste that we have known since we were a baby, yet its mysterious interaction with other taste receptors make it hard to describe.)
Old wives' tale - Salt does raise water's boiling point, but you would need a full ounce per quart to raise it one degree.
Sea salt and table salt have the same nutritional value, but taste different because of other chemicals. Sea salt has more calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Did you know table salt has iodine and additives that prevent it from caking, like it did in the old days? I am not ready to start salting my bacon, but I like salt, because it makes me feel good. Bottom line: just like many other things that make you feel good - use it, but don't abuse it.
Mar 13, 2009
Sears Tower - Willis Tower
The world famous Sears Tower in Chicago is getting a name change to the Willis Tower after new tenants London-based Willis Group Holdings. The new name is part of the terms of a rental agreement between the owners of the Sears Tower and the Willis Group. Willis Group is not paying any extra money to make the name change. Somehow, that just doesn't sound right.
Life Expectancy
Which country has the lowest life expectancy and spends the most per capita? Scary isn't it.
Bionic Eyes
The artificial eyes use a camera and video processor mounted on sunglasses to send captured images wirelessly to a tiny receiver on the outside of the eye. In turn, the receiver passes on the data via a tiny cable to an array of electrodes which sit on the retina - the layer of specialized cells that normally respond to light found at the back of the eye.
When these electrodes are stimulated they send messages along the optic nerve to the brain, which is able to perceive patterns of light and dark spots corresponding to which electrodes have been stimulated. The hope is that patients will learn to interpret the visual patterns produced into meaningful images.
The bionic eye has been developed by US company Second Sight. So far 18 patients across the world have been fitted with the device. One totally blind man, who had seen total blackness for 30 years, reports being able to sort out socks by color, see white lines on the road, and more. The technology still a long way to go, but this is major progress.
When these electrodes are stimulated they send messages along the optic nerve to the brain, which is able to perceive patterns of light and dark spots corresponding to which electrodes have been stimulated. The hope is that patients will learn to interpret the visual patterns produced into meaningful images.
The bionic eye has been developed by US company Second Sight. So far 18 patients across the world have been fitted with the device. One totally blind man, who had seen total blackness for 30 years, reports being able to sort out socks by color, see white lines on the road, and more. The technology still a long way to go, but this is major progress.
Email to Home Address
How about this for a new concept, you can mail or receive mail electronically to your home address. This site has set up an email for every home address. Free for personal use, cheap for bulk mailers. It takes input directly from billing systems and sends them off to your street address. You open it like an email. It might work once more people know of it. For now, I'm not sure, but it would save the trip to the mailbox to collect paper to throw in the trash. You can just hit the delete button, or better yet, don't open the mail and you will never see it.
Mar 11, 2009
Pay Toilets on Airplanes
Ryanair in England is considering charging airline passengers a pound ($1.45) to use the toilet onboard the plane. Is this the beginning of another new crappy trend? Passengers better remember to bring cash.
Nanotechnology
The easiest way to describe the size of a nanometer is by comparison. If a baseball is a nanometer, the whole earth would be a meter. A meter is 39 inches and a yard is 36 inches.
The Wilson Double Core tennis ball, the official ball of the Davis Cup tournament, has clay nanoparticles embedded in the polymer lining of its inner wall, which slows the escape of air from the ball, making it last twice as long.
The Wilson Double Core tennis ball, the official ball of the Davis Cup tournament, has clay nanoparticles embedded in the polymer lining of its inner wall, which slows the escape of air from the ball, making it last twice as long.
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